''Born Yesterday'' is a 1993 American

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

based on the play of the same name by

Garson Kanin Garson Kanin (November 24, 1912 – March 13, 1999) was an American writer and director of plays and films. Early life Garson Kanin was born in Rochester, New York; his Jewish family later relocated to Detroit then to New York City. He at ...

. It stars

Melanie Griffith Melanie Richards Griffith (born August 9, 1957) is an American actress. Born in Manhattan to actress Tippi Hedren, she was raised mainly in Los Angeles, where she graduated from the Hollywood Professional School at age 16. In 1975, 17-year-old ...

John Goodman John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He rose to prominence in television before becoming an acclaimed and popular film actor. Goodman has received List of awards and nominations received by John Goodman, various acc ...

and

Don Johnson Don Wayne Johnson (born December 15, 1949) is an American actor and singer-songwriter. He played the role of James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s television series '' Miami Vice'', for which he won a Golden Globe, and received a Primetime Emm ...

. It was adapted by Douglas McGrath and directed by

Luis Mandoki Luis Mandoki (born August 17, 1954) is a Mexican film director, working in Mexico and Cinema of the United States, Hollywood. Early life and education Luis Mandoki was born on August 17, 1954 in Mexico City. His parents are Hungarian Jews. He ...

. It is a remake of the 1950 film of the same name that starred

Broderick Crawford William Broderick Crawford (December 9, 1911 – April 26, 1986) was an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Willie Stark in the film ''All the King's Men'' (1949), which earned him an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Of ...

Judy Holliday Judy Holliday (born Judith Tuvim, June 21, 1921 – June 7, 1965) was an American actress, comedian, and singer.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', June 9, 1965, p. 71. She began her career as part of a nightclub act before working in Bro ...

(in an Oscar-winning performance) and

William Holden William Franklin Holden (né Beedle Jr.; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film '' Stalag 17'' (1953) and the Pri ...

Plot

A wealthy but crude businessman, Harry Brock, on a trip to the nation's capital, is socially embarrassed by his ditzy, uncultured

showgirl A showgirl is a female performer in a theatrical revue who wears an exotic and revealing costume and in some shows may appear topless. Showgirls are usually dancers, sometimes performing as chorus girls, burlesque dancers or fan dancers, and ...

girlfriend, Billie Dawn. He hires a reporter, Paul Verrall, to educate her ("teach her the ropes"). Harry comes to regret his idea when Billie not only becomes more savvy, questioning his unscrupulous deals and rebelling against his bullying, but also falls in love with Paul.

Cast

as Billie Dawn *

as Harry Brock *

as Paul Verrall *

Edward Herrmann Edward Kirk Herrmann (July 21, 1943 – December 31, 2014) was an American actor, director, and writer. He was known for his portrayals of Franklin D. Roosevelt in both the miniseries '' Eleanor and Franklin'' (1976) and 1982 film musical '' An ...

as Ed Devery *

Max Perlich Max Perlich (born March 26, 1968) is an American film and television actor. In 1990, Perlich won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his performance in the hit indie film '' Drugstore Cowboy'' and was nominated for the same ...

as JJ * Fred Dalton Thompson as Sen. Hedges *

Nora Dunn Nora Dunn (born April 29, 1952) is an American actress and comedian. She first garnered popularity during her tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1985 to 1990. Following her departure from ''SNL'' ...

as Cynthia Screiber *

Michael Ensign Michael Ensign (born February 13, 1944Ragan, David (1992). Who's Who in Hollywood, 1900–1976 : The Largest Cast of International Film Personalities Ever Assembled'. New York : Facts on File. p. 496. .) is an American actor who mostly pla ...

as Phillipe * Benjamin C. Bradlee as Alex Duffee, Sect. of the Navy *

Sally Quinn Sally Sterling Quinn (born July 1, 1941) is an American author and journalist. She writes about religion for a blog at ''The Washington Post''. Early life Sally Quinn was born in Savannah, Georgia, to Lt. General William Wilson "Buffalo Bill" ...

as Beatrice Duffee * Celeste Yarnall as Mrs. Hedges *

Rondi Reed Rondi Anne Reed (born October 26, 1952) is an American actress of stage and screen. A longtime member of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company, she has appeared in more than 50 productions at that theater. Also active on Broadway, she won the 2 ...

as Victoria Penny * Kate McGregor-Stewart as Mrs. Hulse

Reception

Reviews to ''Born Yesterday'' were mostly negative. On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

the film holds an approval rating of 25% based on 28 reviews, with an average rating of 4.1/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Not even Melanie Griffith's charisma can inject fresh energy into this ill-conceived remake, which awkwardly retreads through the classic original's story without any of its charm." Audiences surveyed by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data. Background Ed Mintz, who ...

gave the film a grade of "B+" on scale of A+ to F. Melanie Griffith was nominated for the 1993 Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress for her performance in the film, where she lost to

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

for her work in '' Body of Evidence''.

References

External links

*
''Born Yesterday''
at

AllMovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, television series, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was ...

* * * * 1993 films 1993 romantic comedy-drama films 1990s American films 1990s English-language films American films based on plays American romantic comedy-drama films Comedy-drama film remakes English-language romantic comedy-drama films Films directed by Luis Mandoki Films scored by George Fenton Films set in libraries Films set in Washington, D.C. Films with screenplays by Douglas McGrath Hollywood Pictures films Remakes of American films Romance film remakes {{1990s-US-comedy-drama-film-stub